xv, 213 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : 20 cm

Joseph Carey Merrick, born in England on August 5, 1862, is better known as The Elephant Man. Through horrible physical deformities which were almost impossible to describe, he spent much of his life exhibited as a fairground freak until even nineteenth-century sensibilities could take no more. Hounded, persecuted and starving, he ended up at London's Liverpool Street Station where he was rescued, housed and fed by the distinguished surgeon Frederick Treves. To Treves' surprise, he discovered during the course of their friendship that lurking beneath the mass of Merrick's corrupting flesh lived a spirit that was as courageous as it had been tortured, and a nature as gentle and dignified as it had been deprived and tormented. The subject of several books, a Broadway hit, and a film, Joseph Merrick has become part of popular mythology. Here, in this fully revised edition containing new details, are the true and unromantic facts of his life. This is an extraordinary and moving story, set among the brutal realities of the Victorian world, telling of a tragic individual and his survival against overwhelming odds. -- Provided by publisher

"New edition, extensively rev., with much fresh information."

"A Penguin original"--Cover

Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-206) and index

“The great Freak of nature – Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant” -- On the threshold of Eminence – A living Specimen – A Parade of Elephants and Early Griefs – The Mercy of the Parish – The Silver King – A Travelling Life – Come Safely into Harbour -- “Such a Gentle, Kindly Man, Poor Thing!” – What Was the Matter with Joseph Merrick? – The Burden Falls Away – The Figure in Time’s Fabric

Appendix One: The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick – Appendix Two: The Elephant Man, amplified from an account in the British Medical Journal – Appendix Three: “The Elephant Man” by Sir Frederick Treves

“The great Freak of nature – Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant” -- On the threshold of Eminence – A living Specimen – A Parade of Elephants and Early Griefs – The Mercy of the Parish – The Silver King – A Travelling Life – Come Safely into Harbour -- “Such a Gentle, Kindly Man, Poor Thing!” – What Was the Matter with Joseph Merrick? – The Burden Falls Away – The Figure in Time’s Fabric

Appendix One: The Autobiography of Joseph Carey Merrick – Appendix Two: The Elephant Man, amplified from an account in the British Medical Journal – Appendix Three: “The Elephant Man” by Sir Frederick Treves

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